Sally and Percy Oneshots
by Mandi2341
Summary: Just a series of one-shots about our favorite mom and son, usually in Sally's POV. Who doesn't love reading about the two of them?
1. Thunderstorm, 5

**Author's Note: Hey! It's Mandi2341! Did anyone miss me? *silence***

**Of course you did! Here's a little Sally-Percy one-shot my friend wanted me to write. Sally's POV**

**Reviews are always appreciated!**

Thunderstorm

The sky was growing darker by the minute. "Percy!" I called.

My five-year-old boy came running up to me. I took him by the hand. The wind blew the multicolored leaves around. I wanted to get home as soon as possible. A storm was on its way, and by the threatening looks of those dark, heavy clouds, it was going to be bad.

The wind started to pick up, blowing my hair in my face. There was a flash of lightning, followed by a low rumble. Percy slowed his pace. I could tell he was intimidated by the sounds of thunder, and rightly so. And i must admit, i was also a little intimidated. Thunderstorms were a sign of Zeus's anger. Best-case scenario: it was just another thunderstorm that had nothing to do with Percy or me. Worst-case scenario: Zeus had found out about the broken oath and was out to get my son.

I felt a drop of rain, then another, then another. "Hurry, come on!" I pulled Percy along. Thunder crackled, and Percy flinched.

"Is it...gonna...rain, Mommy...?" he asked. His words were slow and careful, like he was afraid he'd say something wrong and he'd be struck by lightning.

I nodded to answer his question. "But we're almost home now, okay?"

He frowned, but he allowed me to lead him inside of the apartment building. Finally we'd made it inside the apartment, and not a moment too soon. When i looked outside, rain was falling in cords. Wind tossed the trees about, leaves flying in red and orange swirls.

Percy and i were soaked from the rain. My son's hair was speckled with raindrops. He shivered in his wet clothing. "I'm cold," he stammered through chattering teeth.

"I know, baby," i told him. "Tell you what. How does a nice, war bath sound?"

He nodded, but winced as another crash of thunder sounded.

I knew it was going to be a long, difficult night. My son was deathly afraid of thunderstorms. And it was bad enough during the day, but the flashes of lightning illuminating his room throughout the night...each time i had to find something to say to calm him down. Tonight would be no different.

I gave Percy a bath and go him dressed in his pajamas. After a nice TV dinner, we sat on the couch and watched some movies. Then, with a lightning flash and a thunder crash, the room went dark. The power was out.

"Mommy..." Percy whimpered. He sounded like he didn't want to panic but was pretty darn close to doing so.

In the pitch-black darkness, i couldn't see a thing. I felt Percy climb into my lap, though how he'd found me, i had no clue. I put it out of my mind and hugged his waist. "It's alright," i assured him. "Mommy's right here."

I picked him up and went to find a flashlight. However, in the darkness, i ended up bumping my knee on the table. Fun.

After i finally found one, i shined it on the clock. It was nine-thirty. Percy hugged my neck and buried his face in my shirt. I carried him to his room. "Okay," i said, putting him on the bed. "Time to go to sleep."

He shook his head. Thunder boomed, and he covered his ears. I saw tears form in his green eyes. Another crash of thunder rattled the windows. My five-year-old wrapped his small arms around my neck, nearly choking me. I tried to loosen his grip, but he wouldn't let me. Rain lashed at the windows. The thunder didn't let up at all. In fact, it got worse.

"I don't like thunder," Percy sobbed.

I stroked his hair. Another flash of thunder lit up the room. Percy tightened his death grip on my neck. I tried to think of something comforting to say. I stared outside at the city of Manhattan. The city never slept, so of course all the lights were on, lighting up the streams of rain. I was vaguely reminded of a day like this, about five years ago.

"I hate thunderstorms," Percy complained again.

"Why?" i asked him. "After all, your father loved storms."

Percy looked up at me. "Really?" he asked. His eyes were red from crying.

I nodded, wiping away his tears. "Yeah. He wouldn't want you to be afraid of them."

Percy sniffled. "Where _is_ my daddy?" she asked.

My heart sank. Tears sprang into my eyes, but I put on a brave face. "Um...he had to leave before you were born," i told him.

"How come?"

I took a deep breath. I really wanted to tell him the truth- that he was the son of the sea god. But once he knew who he really was, he would be in so much danger that I didn't want to think about it.

As I was lost in thought, Percy repeated, "How come?"

I sighed. I hated lying to him, but I had to protect him. "He went on a cruise and was lost at sea," I said.

Percy yawned in response. I looked down at him, and he was really trying to stay awake, but was having a tough time. He leaned his head on my shoulder. "Was Daddy nice?" he asked.

I sighed sadly. "Percy," I said, "he was the nicest man I've ever met. I wish he could see you now."

"What did he look like, Mommy?" he asked sleepily.

I smiled and ran a hand through his midnight black hair. "Well…" I started, "he has black hair, just like you."

"Really?"

"Of course," I replied. "He also has green eyes—"

"Like me?" Percy cut in.

I laughed. "Just like you," I told him.

Percy yawned again. "Tell me more about Daddy," he said.

So I did. I told him about taking walks along the Long Island Sound, and eating at restaurants, swimming in the ocean…everything. I just rambled on and on about how much in love the two of us were. I found myself practically pouring out my soul to my little five-year-old, until I realized…Percy hadn't complained about the rain at all since I'd started talking.

I looked down at him and saw that he had fallen fast asleep. I kissed his forehead as I held him in the semi-darkness, listening to the rain as it turned into a soft drizzle.

**If you want more Sally stuff, say so in a review!**


	2. Sick, 6

**Author's Note: Hey guys! So this story used to be a one-shot named _Thunderstorm_, but I decided I wanted to write more Sally one-shots because they're so much fun to write, and I love Sally stuff. I'm not the first to do this, and I know that. It's just something I think is very fun, and decided to give it a try.**

**This particular one-shot…well, I was debating whether to make Percy older or younger. I thought of how I would write it in each case, and decided that younger would be a little easier. And I like writing Percy younger. I think he's adorable.**

**I also wrote this partly because my cousin told me _not_ to. The power of reverse psychology, huh? I have succeeded in annoying her. She told me not to only because she doesn't like reading sick-Percy stories. So I decided to write one.**

**I'm going to stop ranting now and let you read. More at the end, though.**

**DISCLAIMER: This is FANfiction. So obviously I'm not Rick Riordan.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><em>Sick<em>

"Mommy!" Percy's face looked urgent, even for a six-year-old kindergartener. He held an envelope in his small hand as he ran to the car.

"Hey, kiddo," I greeted him.

"Mommy, Mrs. Ryan said this is for you." He handed me the envelope and got himself into the car. I buckled him into his booster seat and put the envelope on the passenger's seat to read when I got home.

"So," I asked Percy, "how was school today?"

He was bouncing a little in his seat, unable to keep still. I knew his demigod ADHD was almost impossible to control. "Good," he answered. The generic answer.

"Well," I prompted, "what did you do today?"

"I colored a dolphin," he said. Then he added, "And Andrew puked during naptime."  
>I frowned, resisting the urge to make a face. "That's not fun," I said. "Did he go home?"<p>

"Yeah," Percy said. "Then Mrs. Ryan gave us those notes." He pointed to the passenger's seat where the note was resting.

When we got home, Gabriel was playing poker in the living room with Pete from down the hall. As per normal, the place smelled like beer and cigar smoke, and I tried not to feel too nauseated. "Hey, Sally!" Gabriel called. "Go get us some salsa!"

I wanted to ignore him. The best and worst thing I'd ever done was marrying that guy. He was the worst husband any woman could ask for, but he kept my demigod son smothered in his odor. In this case, the good outweighed the bad by _a lot_. But when I took more than two seconds to answer, he called, "Sally! You hear me?"

Rolling my eyes, I answered, "Of course, Gabe." I followed Percy to his bedroom, where he started playing with his sea-creature stuffed toys. I sat on his bed as I read the note from his teacher:

_ Parents:_

_ As happens every year, there is an illness going around the school. This year, unfortunately, it is the stomach flu. Several students have fallen ill, and as a precaution, please warn your own children to cover their mouths when sneezing and/or coughing, and especially not to share food with other students. _

_ We hope that our sick students make speedy recoveries, and that we don't get many more sick students!_

_ Sincerely, _

_ Mrs. Alicia Ryan_

I frowned as I folded up the note. Percy looked up from his toy shark. "What's the note say?" he asked.

I told him about how many kids were getting sick in his class, and how he shouldn't share food with anyone.

"Not even cookies?" he asked, slightly dismayed.

I shook my head. "Not even cookies. But if you want cookies for snack time or lunch time, I'll pack you some, okay?"

"Okay!" He immediately went back to playing a strange version of _The Little Mermaid_.

I walked out of the bedroom, bitterly remembering Gabe's salsa. _Better get on that before he gets on my nerves about it,_ I thought, scowling to myself.

In the front of my mind I was really hoping that Percy would be able to avoid getting sick for now.

* * *

><p>The next day, when I went to pick Percy up from kindergarten, he looked a little tired. When I asked him how school was, he gave me another, "Good." It was when I asked more questions that I realized he hadn't followed the advice.<p>

"Sarah gave me a cupcake today," he said.

I frowned. "I thought we talked about not sharing food," I said.

"But it was a cupcake," he defended. "I thought you said no cookies."

I sighed, but I couldn't help smiling just a little bit. "I meant even if it _is_ a cookie, or a cupcake, you shouldn't share food. At all."

"Oh."

"What else happened at school today?" I asked.

"Um…" He paused to think about it, and then said, "Sarah puked during recess."

_Uh oh._ "Is this the same Sarah who gave you the cupcake?" I asked warily.

"Uh huh."

_Major uh-oh._ So this Sarah had been sick and had shared her cupcake with Percy. Hopefully Percy hadn't picked anything up from her, but I couldn't help dreading an illness.

We came home to find another poker-and-beer party in the living room, this time with more guys, most of whom I didn't recognize other than Gabe, of course, Pete, and Eddie, our building super. Percy made a face, wrinkling his nose. "It stinks in here," he muttered.

"Why don't you go to your room, honey?" I offered. "I'll be there in a minute if you want me to play with you."

He nodded and went to his bedroom. I could hear him making different voices for his different toys as he played.

"Sally!" I heard from the living room. "Get some bean dip in here, huh?"

I took a deep breath and held it for five seconds before letting it out, or else I might have hit something hard enough to break it. "Coming, dear," I answered sweetly. I went to the refrigerator and got out a jar of dip, filled a bowl, and brought it out for them.

Gabe scowled at me. "Is this homemade, or that cheap store-bought stuff?"

I shrugged. "Taste and see," I suggested.

I was about two steps from the door when I heard, "This is crap, Sally! I want real dip!"

The guys laughed. They looked a little hammered, as there were beer cans all over the place.

"Well, I'm making dinner," I said, trying to keep my voice light. "I promise I'll make up for it." Seriously, it was as if I were his French maid or something. I hated it, but I had to remind myself that it was for Percy.

* * *

><p>I found Percy half-heartedly playing with his toys when I called him for dinner.<p>

He shook his head. "I'm not hungry," he said.

"Why not?" I asked him.

He glanced at me, making a slight face. "My tummy hurts," he said.

_Oh, man._ I took his hand. "You sure you don't want a _little_ bit of dinner?" I asked.

Percy looked a little conflicted, like he wanted to say no, but didn't know how to say it. "I guess…just a _little_ bit," he decided.

So we walked to the kitchen and sat at the table. Gabe's friends were gone, and Gabe had taken his food to the living room to watch SportsCenter. He never ate with Percy and me, and that was totally fine with the both of us. Percy reluctantly ate a spoon of mashed potatoes as he told me how he had made a starfish out of blue Play-Doh.

Then he trailed off in mid-sentence and hugged his stomach. "Mommy," he groaned, "I don't feel good."

That set off a major uh-oh alert in my mind, especially when he turned a faint shade of green and groaned, "I'm gonna puke."

"Come on," I said, taking him by the hand and leading him to the bathroom. We barely made it to the toilet before Percy threw up. He was violently sick for a few minutes as I rubbed his back, looking at the tiles on the floor. I couldn't stand watching people vomit; I never could. But this was my son. I hated seeing my child so sick. It made me feel terrible. As a parent, you're really only happy when your kid was happy. I sighed. "Poor thing," I muttered.

Finally, Percy's body relaxed. His face was pale and beaded with sweat. "I feel gross," he croaked.

"I can imagine," I sympathized. Then I helped him to his feet and walked him to the sink. I lifted him so he was able to cup his small hands under the faucet and rinse his mouth a few times.

When he finished, I carried him back to his room, changed him into his pajamas, and tucked him into bed. He looked completely miserable. "I feel really, really bad, Mommy," he complained.

I ran my fingers through his dark hair. "I know, honey," I said. "But remember when I told you not to share food with anyone?" I didn't scold him or anything like that. I didn't want to make him feel worse than he already did. I just wanted him to know that he was learning an easy lesson the hard way, which pretty sucked.

Percy looked down. "But…it was a really good cupcake," he said.

I cracked a smile. "Yeah, it probably was. But now you're sick. That isn't fun, is it?"

"Not at all," he agreed.

I felt his forehead, and he was a little warm. His face still had a thin layer of cold sweat. "I'm going to get you some Gatorade," I told him. "What color do you want?"

"Blue," he said weakly.

As I went back to the kitchen, Gabe called me from the living room. "Sally, come here and get my dish! I've been calling you forever!"

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Sorry," I said. I went and got his plate, then dumped it in the sink to wash later. My plate and Percy's were still pretty full, so I decided to put it in a plastic container to eat tomorrow. "By the way," I mentioned as I cleared the table, "I'm calling in sick tomorrow."

I knew the tirade would be coming, and well, he just about lost it. I got a whole lecture on all the reasons I couldn't take off from work, most of it boiling down to money. That annoyed me; I'd lived my whole life without enough money. I'd lived six years of that life with a son to take care of. Taking one day off wouldn't hit me too hard, especially if my so-called husband managed a store. But there was no way Gabe would hear any of it. "Why do you need to call in sick anyway? You're not even sick!"

"But Percy is. I need to take care of him," I tried to explain.

He waved his hand dismissively. "The kid's not sick."

"Yes, he is," I told him. "He just threw up. Come on, Gabriel. Let me take a day off to take care of my kid, will you?" I grabbed a blue Gatorade from the fridge and didn't wait for Gabe's answer.

* * *

><p>Percy finished half of the bottle before it came back up. I held the trashcan under his chin and wiped the sweat from his forehead. When I took his temperature, it turned out he had a fever of one hundred and one-and-a-half degrees.<p>

"Looks like you're staying home tomorrow," I told him.

"Aww," he complained. "It's my turn to feed Bubbles tomorrow." (Bubbles was the kindergarten's pet goldfish, so of course Percy loved him.)

I shook my head. "You're way too sick for school, kiddo."

"Are you gonna leave me with Smelly Gabe?" Percy asked warily, his voice hoarse.

I shook my head again, this time letting a half-smile cross my face. "I'm going to stay here with you, keep you company, okay?"

He smiled. "Okay."

That night was a pretty long one. I spent it in Percy's room. Percy couldn't sleep, which meant that I couldn't sleep. I tried to get him to sip on some Gatorade to get some electrolytes back into him, but he couldn't hold it down. Twice in the middle of the night I had to grab the trashcan for him to vomit. And I did stay with him the next day, while Gabe had no choice but to go in to the store to collect a bonus on his paycheck.

Percy and I were playing with his stuffed sea creatures when he started gagging. I managed to get the trashcan up to his mouth before he puked. When he was done, he let his head fall back onto his pillow. "Mommy, can I have some water?" he croaked. "My mouth tastes gross."

"Of course," I said. Maybe plain old water would settle his stomach. After all, he was the son of the sea god. Water would be best for him. _Why didn't I think of that already? _I asked myself.

He managed to drink the entire bottle this time. Immediately he looked better. Some of the color returned to his face. After about two hours of not getting sick, I gave him some crackers to eat, and he managed to keep them down. When I took his temperature again, his fever had gone down to a hundred degrees.

"Hey, good news," I told him. "Your fever's going down. You might be able to go to school tomorrow, if it goes down a little more, and if you don't throw up anymore."

"Really?" His green eyes lit up, glittering like the sea in sunlight. "'Cuz I don't even feel like puking anymore."

I smiled. "Good. So you think you can handle some Gatorade? You don't want to get dehydrated."

He frowned. "Huh?"

"It means you don't have enough water in your body," I explained. "So you need to drink so you don't get even _more_ sick."

"Oh," he said. "Okay. Can I have blue Gatorade again?"

"Sure."

And he downed the Gatorade easily. His cheeks regained their rosiness. "Done," he announced, handing me the empty bottle.

I grinned. "Wow," I said, taking the bottle from him. "What a bounce-back you've made." And he really had. Percy was definitely feeling better. Not well enough to get up and run around, but enough to talk and laugh and have me play with his sea creature toys with him as he sat in bed. It made me feel better to know that he was feeling better. I guess that's what having a kid feels like—an almost telepathic feeling where you feel all of their pain and happiness, just the same.

At one point Percy said he wanted to watch TV, so I carried him to the living room to watch _The Little Mermaid_. We were on the part where Ursula the Sea Witch got the trident and grew into a giant, when Gabe came back home from work that night, grumbling about how annoying customers were and how lazy I was for taking the day off to care for my good-for-nothing son. He walked into the living room and turned off the movie, replacing it with ESPN.

"Hey!" Percy protested. "We were watching that!"

"Yeah, well now I'm watching this," Gabe replied, pointing at the screen.

Percy frowned and pouted, crossing his arms and scrunching up his nose, the way he did when he was annoyed. But he didn't say anything.

I glared at my so-called husband. "Gabe, can I talk to you for a minute, in the kitchen?" I made my voice sound as sweet as I could, but it wasn't easy.

Gabe didn't find anything fake about it, though. He rolled his eyes and lazily followed me into the kitchen. "What?" he asked, grabbing a beer from the fridge.

I narrowed my eyes. "You couldn't have let Percy finish his movie? He's sick, and all he wanted to do was watch a movie."

"Yeah, well, he can watch it another time. He's the kid; I'm the adult. He has no say in it."

"Oh, and I'm not an adult? Do I have a say?" I asked.

That's when he walked right up to me, putting his face two inches from mine. His horrible stench was hard to bear, but I managed not to gag, though I was thinking, _If he doesn't step back in ten seconds, Percy won't be the only one getting sick in this apartment._

"Look, woman," Gabe sneered. "I'm gonna do what I wanna do. If you don't like it, you can leave anytime. The door's right there."

"This is _my_ apartment," I reminded him. "Anyway, just let Percy finish his movie; it had five minutes left in it. Then we'll leave you alone, okay?"

He snatched up his beer can and stalked back to the living room. "You've got five minutes to finish that Disney garbage, kid," he told Percy.

"Fine," I heard Percy reply, and the movie came back on with Ursula's evil laughter.

Once the movie ended, I brought Percy back to his room. I made him drink another bottle of water before I tucked him in at bedtime. As he took small sips, he asked me to tell him a story.

"What kind of story?" I asked.

"Tell me about _your_ mommy and daddy," he suggested.

A pang of sadness hit me. I missed my parents so much. But to tell a story…I had to think about it…I mean, my parents crossed my mind every day, bless their souls. But they had died when I was five; did I even have a clear enough memory of them that I could recount? "Well," I started, "my mommy had brown hair, just like me. It was curly, and she always had a ponytail. Her name was Laura." I pictured my dad now. "Daddy…he had dark blond hair, and a beard." I laughed, remembering how his hug would tickle because of his beard. "His name was Jim."

"Laura and Jim," Percy repeated sleepily, finishing the bottle. "Laura Jackson and Jim Jackson?"

I nodded, and I couldn't help laughing a little more. "That's exactly right." I told him about how my parents would always take me to the beach, and I remembered swinging between them as they each held one of my arms, and the waves would crash onto the surf, and they would pick me up and wing me over the white crests. I remembered laughing as the ocean sprayed me with mist.

"You went to that beach when you were little?" Percy asked. "Montauk?"

I nodded. "Yup. My parents took me every summer."

Percy yawned. "Cool," he murmured. Then he asked, "Will I be sick tomorrow?"

I shrugged, running his fingers through his hair. I noticed that he didn't feel too hot anymore. "If you're feeling up to it, and your temperature's normal, then yeah."

"Cool," he said again, and his head fell back against his pillow.

I pulled the blanket over him, kissed his forehead, and got up to turn out the lights.

Percy went to school the next day and fed Bubbles. He showed me the crayon drawing of the event when he got in the car. You'd never have known he was bedridden the day before. But hey, that was my Percy for you.

* * *

><p><strong>Looking back at this, it was probably very random. Oh well.<strong>

**So I'm trying to challenge myself, and I want you to help. Would you mind helping? So I was thinking people could give me a ONE-WORD prompt along with a number 0-16. The one word would be the basis for the one-shot and the number would be Percy's age…although if you give me the number zero, could you be specific please? Like, 3 months, or something like that? For example, here's a prompt that PixieKindOfCrazy gave me a while ago: "Pancakes, 7." Another friend, TheJiangMei, gave me "Seahorses, 5." Like that. This one-shot wasn't a prompt; I just felt like writing it. But prompts are fun. **

**So if you want to, leave a prompt in your review. But please, don't make your review ONLY the prompt; I want to know what you thought of this one-shot, too! **

**Thanks so much, people!**

**~Mandi2341**


	3. Pancakes, 7

**Author's Note: Okay! So this is the first prompt that I got. It's from PixieKindOfCrazy, and I got it…lots of months ago. I don't know why it took so long to write, because I knew exactly what I was going to do for it…I guess I just didn't know _how_ to do it. **

**But I figured it out. How _did_ the blue joke between Sally and Percy start? Read to find out!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson. Obviously.**

* * *

><p><em>Pancakes<em>

I had to stay at the candy shop later than usual. It was my turn to take inventory. I was pretty tired, and I hoped that I could just go home and take a break.

But when I opened the door to my apartment, I knew a break would be the last thing I'd be getting. My seven-year-old son was arguing with my husband, again. From the sound of it, they were arguing over dinner.

"It's not my job to make dinner, kid!" Gabe shouted. "Let your mother do it!"

"Stop being lazy!" Percy snapped back. "I'm starving!"

I pushed the door closed, loudly enough to get their attention. Percy saw me and beamed. "Mommy!" He ran to give me a hug.

I smiled. "Hey, Percy," I laughed. "What's going on in here?"

He pouted. "Gabe won't make dinner," he complained.

"Because it's _her_ job!" Gabriel pointed at me.

I had to count to ten so I didn't snap back at him. I just had to put up with that guy. I hated being near him and his beer and his cigars. I really wished that I could leave that hideous man, but I couldn't. If I did, I'd be putting Percy in danger, and I couldn't imagine anything happening to him. I took a deep breath and put on a smile. "Well, then, Percy," I said, ruffling his midnight-black hair, "why don't you choose that we're having for dinner tonight? I'll make it for you."

"I get to choose?" Percy asked incredulously.

"Yeah, whatever you want," I said.

His eyes grew wide, and so did his smile. "Pancakes?" he asked.

Gabe narrowed his eyes. "Pancakes?" he repeated. "Your kid is retarded."

I felt like slapping him across the face. How dare he call my son retarded? As it was, Percy glared daggers at his stepfather. Seriously, if looks could kill…Gabe would be a dead man. "Am not!" Percy shot back.

"Kid, you can't even read, and you're seven years old," Gabriel countered.

I interjected, "He can't help it. He's dyslexic." _If only you knew who he really was,_ I thought. _You'd be bowing down on your knees. _Before Gabe could give an answer, I took Percy into the kitchen. "What kind of pancakes would you like, Percy?" I asked him, grabbing the box of pancake mix from the cupboard. I kind of couldn't believe that I was actually making pancakes at six-thirty in the evening. I was definitely glad I was doing it, though.

I hated Gabe. I hated him so much. I refused to even change my name for him. He was the worst husband anyone could ever have, and I wouldn't wish for him to be with my worst enemy. He was always either drinking or smoking, most likely at the same time, watching ESPN in the living room with his friends, who also drank and smoked, until the whole apartment reeked so badly of cigar smoke and alcohol that it made me gag, and I would have to take Percy outside for a walk. I didn't want my seven-year-old in that kind of environment, and Percy made it no secret that he didn't want to stick around either.

So there we were, in the kitchen at dinnertime, pouring Aunt Jemima pancake mix into a bowl. I ran some water from the faucet into the bowl. The magic of instant pancake mix. Percy asked me if he could stir, so I handed him the big wooden spoon before turning on the stove. "What kind of pancakes do you want?" I asked again.

His stirring slowed down as he thought about it. "Um…" He trailed off. Then suddenly his green eyes lit up, like he'd just thought of the best idea in the world. "Can we make them blue?" he asked eagerly.

_Blue? Hmm._ I shrugged. "Sure, why not?" I replied.

I heard Gabe's voice from the living room. "There's no such thing as blue pancakes, Stupid."

"_You're_ stupid," Percy muttered under his breath.

I turned toward the living room and crossed my arms. "Why can't there be blue pancakes?" I asked my husband.

"Because they don't exist."

"And why can't they?"

That's when he got up to look me in the face. I took a step back only because his smell made me nauseous. "There's no such thing as blue food, smarty."

"Yeah, there is," I shot back.

"No, there's not. And if you think there is, you're just as retarded as he is!"

I clenched my fists and crossed my arms again so I didn't punch him in his ugly face. I was seriously starting to question whether marrying this guy was the right thing to do. I hated him so much. Percy hated him. And he hated us back just the same, if not more. Why couldn't I just kick him out? Take his stuff and chuck it out the window. Make him leave so I never had to see his horrible face or his beer or his cigars or his poker cards ever again. _Why couldn't I do that?_ Two reasons: 1) I had to keep Percy safe. Percy was my first priority, even though Gabriel made us both miserable. I had to keep my son safe and alive. 2) I hated to admit this, even to myself, but…Gabe scared me. He was terrible on a good day, but when he was drunk…he got violent. He would throw things and scream, and sometimes…he'd even threaten to beat me. I've never let Percy know about that last part. He didn't need to know.

But to answer back to Gabe's last remark, I told him, "Blue food is perfectly real. If Percy wants blue pancakes, I'll make him blue pancakes. If you didn't want 'imaginary' food, you should've made dinner _before_ I got home. Smarty."

He answered, but I was already in the kitchen, so it was intelligible to my ears. "Percy," I said, "we're going to make some blue pancakes, alright?"

"Really?" he asked.

"Really."

He smiled, showing me the gap where his front teeth used to be. "Awesome!" he exclaimed.

I laughed. Percy's smile was all it took to cheer me up. I reached up to the cupboards over the sink, where I kept food coloring. I grabbed the dark blue bottle and had Percy keep stirring. "Watch this," I told him. Then, I poured a few drops of food coloring into the white batter.

"Whoa!" Percy's eyes grew even brighter. "You made it blue!"

I smiled even wider. "Yup. You wanted blue pancakes, right?"

All he did was grin. Then he gave me a quick but tight hug. "Thanks, Mommy!" he exclaimed.

I messed up his already messy hair. "No problem, honey," I answered. "Now, we put the batter in the frying pan, like so." I took the bowl from him and poured the blue batter into the frying pan, hearing it sizzle. After about five minutes, I flipped it, and after another five minutes Percy had a blue pancake on his plate, complete with butter, maple syrup, Cool Whip, and chocolate sprinkles—like a picture-perfect IHOP pancake. I should know; I worked at IHOP for a few months when Percy was a toddler. I think that's why he loved me to make him pancakes.

I made a blue pancake for myself as well, and we sat down to eat. "Want one, Gabe?" I called teasingly. I knew there would be no way he'd accept the fact that we had just made blue pancakes. He just looked over at the kitchen, scowling. "Told you," I said. "Blue pancakes are now real."

Percy laughed. "Yeah, Smelly Gabe," he agreed, sticking his tongue out. I toughed his arm and gave him a warning-look that said, _Be respectful, please._ He sighed, finishing his pancake.

"Why do you feed into that kid's nonsense?" Gabe grumbled. "He needs a serious reality check, but you're turning him into the world's biggest mama's boy."

I rolled my eyes. What was wrong with spending time with my kid? It wasn't like Percy had a real man to spend time with. _Great role model you are, huh, Gabe? _I felt like his comment didn't even deserve a response, so it didn't get one.

"I really do NOT understand you, Sally," he muttered. Then he returned his attention to the television, cranking up the volume on SportsCenter.

That's when I just started giggling like I was a freshman in high school again. I couldn't help it. I swallowed the bite of pancake that had been in my mouth so I didn't choke, but after that I was cracking up. My seven-year-old son was staring at me like I'd gone completely insane, and he was laughing, too, only because he thought I was nuts.

But I was laughing at the fact that I'd gotten Gabe. I'd gotten him good. It felt great, and his expression had been hilarious, and…I dissolved into more giggles.

"What's so funny?" Percy finally asked.

I shook my head, taking a deep breath to calm down. "Nothing," I told him. "I'm just happy."

"Me too," Percy told me. "Blue pancakes are awesome!"

They were, weren't they? I thought of all the other blue food I could eat: blue corn tortilla chips, blueberry pancakes, blue raspberry-flavored candy…and then there was always my handy-dandy bottle of blue food coloring. I think that's the exact moment when blue became my favorite color in the spectrum, and Percy's, too.

* * *

><p><strong>So I'm so happy I wrote this. It wasn't as fun to write as the last one, though. Which might sound weird, but it's true. It was still pretty fun, though.<strong>

**So for now, I've got plenty of ideas for other one-shots and I'll ask for more when I need more, but for now, I'm good. Thank you so much for all of the nice reviews and ideas! I was kind of discouraged that no one reviewed _Cold as Ice_ when I updated, but I'm so happy you guys reviewed this story! **

**Please continue to review! I'm serious; they make my day! Thanks Pixie for this one-shot prompt!**

**~Mandi2341**


	4. New Year's Eve, 14

**Author's Note: Hey, guys! Happy New Year! I hope everyone's ready to break in 2013! I know I am. **

**So I have this nice little one-shot for you guys. Inspired today, and written today. My Sally feels were activated through my family's tradition of cleaning up on New Year's Eve. So I'm sorry that this isn't a prompt yet; I promise Jiang-Mei's is almost done. I just had to do this—spur of the moment, seriously.**

**Dedicated to my family, who taught me this awesome tradition! **

**Disclaimer: I'm not the trolling-genius whose initials are R.R. But the tradition **_**is**_** my family's.**

* * *

><p>New Year's Eve<p>

You know how most people do "spring cleaning?" Well…I have a version of that, in the dead of winter. You see, my mom had kept this tradition when I was little—every New Year's Eve, the house had to be cleaned, because it was bad luck to meet the New Year with a dirty house. While I was living with my uncle, he and I continued it in his small apartment, and after he was gone, _I_ continued it.

So New Year's Eve morning, it was time to get to work. My fourteen-year-old chuckled as he put his breakfast dish in the sink. "You ready to get to work, Mom?" he laughed.

I smirked. "I'm ready when you are," I said. "You get the dishes while I strip the beds down to wash the sheets, 'kay?"

"Sounds like a plan," he grinned, pushing his sleeves up. I knew Percy would be fast with the dishes; I guess it was one of the perks of having Poseidon's kid. I took a deep breath as I went into his room first. One of the _non_-perks of having a _teenager_ was the perpetually messy bedroom. I pulled the blankets, sheets, and pillowcases off and threw them in a pile before gathering the laundry.

As I was moving on to my own room, Percy was walking up to meet me. "Anything else for me to do?" he asked.

I thought about it for a minute. "Yeah," I decided. "Get dressed and give me your pajamas so I can wash them."

He laughed. "Okay."

I called, "If you hurry, we can go to Times Square this afternoon for the New Year's Eve party!" Everyone's seen Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve on TV: the performances at Madison Square Garden, the glittery glasses and hats with the New Year on them, the confetti, and all that good stuff. One of the perks of living in Manhattan was having all that go down a subway's ride away. The only problem was that people lined up for that ever since the afternoon to save themselves a place. So we would have to be done with everything in our apartment before leaving. That's why I liked to start bright and early.

"Awesome!" Percy called back before leaving to get dressed.

I smiled. I looked at the digital clock in my bedroom—10:24 AM. We could totally finish everything before like, four. It was a small apartment with two people in it. After I stripped my own bed, I gathered my stuff with Percy's and headed downstairs to the laundry room. I heard Percy's voice behind me—"Let me help you. I'll carry my stuff down."

"Thanks," I told him.

"No problem," he murmured.

Together we took our stuff downstairs and started the washing machine. As we walked back upstairs to our apartment, I noticed how much more mature he looked now than when he was twelve, how he'd gotten taller and more muscular since training at camp, and I'd finally persuaded him to get a haircut so his hair wasn't constantly in his face anymore, and his voice was deeper. I know, it's kind of random, but it happens sometimes.

Percy caught me looking him over. "What?" he chuckled.

I shook my head. "Nothing," I said. "I'm just thinking about how much older you look now, that's all."

"Is it the gray hair?" he joked, pointing to streak of gray he'd gotten from a quest before Christmas.

I laughed. "No, it's not," I promised. "You're just growing up." I sighed, opening the door to the apartment. "I feel kind of old."

Percy smirked, playfully pushing my shoulder. "You're not old," he said dismissively. Then his green eyes brightened. "By the way," he added, "are you inviting Paul?"

I blinked. "To what?"

My son smirked. "To the Rockin' New Year's Eve party at Times Square, where else?"

Honestly, I hadn't even thought about it, but as soon as he suggested it, I really did want to bring Paul along. I'd been dating him for a while, and he was a great guy. And the best part was that I'd gotten Percy's stamp of approval (not that I needed my son's _permission_; I just wanted him to be okay with it after forcing him to deal with Gabe for so long).

I could feel myself blushing, and I guess Percy could see it, because he took my hand and placed the phone in my palm. "While you take care of that, I'll put the new sheets on the bed." He left with a wink.

I sighed. _Man, I love that kid,_ I thought to myself, grinning. Then I looked at the phone in my hand and took a deep breath. I dialed the number with ease; I'd memorized the digits without meaning to.

* * *

><p>Paul said he'd be over by three-thirty, which gave Percy and me three hours to clean the place. The work was tedious and tiring, so we distracted each other with random conversations.<p>

"Any New Year's resolutions?" I asked Percy as we polished the furniture.

His brow furrowed. "Haven't really thought of any," he admitted. Then he raised an eyebrow. "Can I have two resolutions?"

"You can have as many as you want," I laughed. "Why two?"

Percy shrugged. "I was thinking I could have a mortal resolution…and a non-mortal resolution, you know?"

I nodded, though I wasn't sure what a demigod's New Year's resolution would sound like. "Okay…" I mused. "What's your 'mortal' resolution?" I asked with air quotes.

He thought about it for a few seconds. "Uh…" He chuckled. "Try to do well on my SSAT," he decided.

I nodded. "That's a great one," I agreed. The SSAT was basically a middle-school version of the SAT; while the SAT was for rising _college_ freshmen, the SSAT was for rising _high school_ freshmen. "And your 'non-mortal' resolution?"

His eyes turned darker all of a sudden, like he'd just thought of something unpleasant. But he tried for a smile. "Try not to blow up my school," he answered with a laugh.

I frowned, trying to read his conflicting expression—I could tell something was bothering him, but his nonchalant smile was covering it up. "Something wrong?" I asked.

Percy shook his head innocently. "No, why?"

"You look worried about something."

He shrugged. "I'm not worried about anything."

I dropped it. It took a lot of work to get him to tell me about anything that bothered him relating to…_that_ side of his life. In a way, I appreciated the way he just wanted to protect me and my feelings; he didn't want to worry me about anything. But I was going to be worried anyway, and it sort of hurt me when he didn't open up to me. It prevented me from helping him. But I let it go; he always told me, eventually.

Percy was quick to change the subject. "So…how about you? What are our resolutions?"

I thought about it. "I guess…to get closer to my diploma, as always," I told him. "And to finally start my book."

He smiled. "Cool. As long as I'm first to read the manuscript."

That touched me, for some reason. Percy was a dyslexic, so reading was really difficult for him. He hated reading. The fact that he wanted to be the first to read my story made me so…grateful to have a son like him. I gave him a hug right then and there. "Of course you'll be first; who else?"

He playfully rolled his eyes, trying to escape my hug. "Mom, not a big deal," he laughed. "Lay off."

"It is too a big deal," I smiled. "But come on; let's finish this work."

* * *

><p>After three hours of washing, dusting, vacuuming, and folding laundry, Percy and I finally had the place sparkling. We sat side-by-side on the couch, totally exhausted. Percy rested his head on my shoulder. "I'm ready for a nap," he muttered.<p>

I smirked. "Me too," I admitted. "But Rockin' New Year's Eve, remember?"

"Yeah," he murmured.

I hauled myself to my feet and pulled my son to his. "Come on," I said. "Paul's on his way over."

About an hour later, Paul came in, shook Percy's hand and gave me a kiss on the cheek. We took the subway down to Times Square, where thousands of people were already waiting for the glittering, glistening ball to start falling. It was getting dark, and snow was starting to fall. But we were ready to go with our hats and fake New Year's glasses.

We enjoyed a few sets by a couple of new artists that I wasn't really familiar with, but whom Percy was head-banging to. By the time 11:59 rolled around, everyone was cheering in excitement, and the countdown clock began:

59…58…57…56…

Paul gripped my hand. His nose was red with cold. "You ready for a new year?" he whispered in my ear.

"Even if I wasn't, ready or not, here it comes," I sighed with a smile.

44…43…42…41…

"Those lights are so distracting," Percy murmured, his eyes fixed on the ever-changing colors. "I'm not sure whether my ADHD is aggravated or entertained."

Paul and I laughed.

30…29…28…27…

I clenched my fists and let out the breath I'd been holding. It fogged up in front of me. I wondered what the New Year would bring, what it would be like. What would happen? Would there be any new faces? Would I lose some old faces? All sorts of thoughts were crowding my mind as I squeezed Paul's and Percy's hands in mine. Manhattan counted down with one voice—

Ten.

Nine.

Eight.

Seven.

Six.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two—

And then one giant cheer.

Percy through some glittery confetti into the air as Paul pulled me in for a kiss, which had my head clouded for a good twenty seconds. Then I wrapped my arms around my son, and he gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Did midnight catch us with a dirty apartment?" he joked.

"Nope," I giggled. "So we've got some good luck for this year."

After that, Percy insisted on a group hug to the tune of Auld Lang Syne.

* * *

><p><strong>I was inspired to do this because, usually, my whole family gets up and cleans for a few hours, with my mom initiating it. But this year, my mom had to work, and my dad was out all day getting groceries for our soup (yum!) so my little sister and I did it all by ourselves. Man, that was exhausting work. Mom, I seriously have found a new appreciation for what you do. Thanks so much!<strong>

**Guys, my mom and dad were so HAPPY when they found we'd done it! That feeling of doing something good for someone else without him or her asking…it's incredible. My sister and I are so happy we did it.**

**Thanks, guys!**

**~Mandi2341**


	5. Seahorses, 5

**Author's Note: Alright, so Jiang-Mei, I'm so sorry this took so long to write. Two years is a very long time, isn't it? I apologize. That's pretty bad. But it is complete! And very fluffy. But fluff is fun. **

**Ah, the inspiration you get in French class. I had lots of fun writing this! Hope you like it!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own PJO, nor do I own Spongebob Squarepants. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Seahorses<p>

Okay. By noon, I had officially decided that I was bored. Don't get me wrong—I was definitely enjoying the day off, and I was definitely enjoying the time I got to spend with Percy. But…I wanted to _do_ something. I wanted to get out of the apartment and hang out somewhere. But the heavy rain would make that a little…difficult. And I really didn't want to drive out there. The only thing worse than Manhattan traffic was Manhattan traffic in the rain.

So there I was sitting on the couch, trying to write something. Anything. But total writer's block. I stared in frustration at the blank page in my notebook, my pen poised over the paper. But no words would come from my mind.

Part of it was that I was being distracted by my five-year-old. He was sitting on the floor in front of me watching Spongebob Squarepants, this kids' show on Nickelodeon about a yellow dish sponge that lives under the sea in a pineapple. His best friend is a pink starfish named Patrick, his boss is a crab, who has a whale for a daughter (don't ask; I don't have an answer), and his almost-girlfriend is a squirrel (again, don't ask why there's a squirrel living underwater, because I don't know). Percy loved it, obviously, because he loved all of the different kinds of sea creatures.

The episode was about Spongebob finding a stray seahorse. He names her Mystery and adopts her, but eventually after a bunch of shenanigans, he's forced to let her go back to the wild. Percy was a very…interactive audience. His laughter was mostly how he was distracting me, but not in a bad way. It was actually making _me_ giggle a little bit. He was completely adorable when he laughed in that giggly five-year-old way of his. Okay, so I'm biased. I'm a mom. We're all biased, come on.

Anyway, at the end of the episode, Percy was practically rolling on the floor laughing (In the final scene, Patrick the starfish had nailed a two-by-four to his head and ran into a door…several times, which was actually kind of funny). When the episode ended, Percy turned to me with a huge grin on his face. "Can I have a seahorse?" he asked.

I raised an eyebrow. "Um," I started, "I don't know if I would be able to find you one. Remember, they like to be free, like Mystery." I gestured to the TV.

He pouted for a second. Then his eyes lit up again. "Can we go _see_ seahorses?"

I thought about it. It seemed like a good idea. It gave Percy and me something to do for a few hours. We could go to the zoo in Staten Island. It had an aquarium, and aquariums were indoors, so no rain. And we could take the subway to Staten Island so I wouldn't have to drive. "Sure," I told him. "Why not? Have I ever taken you to Staten Island?"

His brows furrowed. "Where's that?"

I frowned. "I've never taken you to Staten Island before?"

He shook his head. "Nope," he answered, popping the P.

I raised an eyebrow, putting down my blank notebook. "Well, then," I started, "I'd better take you there, huh?"

* * *

><p>We did end up going out in the rain, but only long enough to get to the subway. We took the long train ride to Staten Island. I had to keep Percy in my lap to keep him from running up and down the car. "Mommy, I can't help it!" he giggled. "I'm so excited to see the seahorses!"<p>

I had to laugh, tickling his belly, eliciting his adorable five-year-old giggle. "Patience, Percy," I told him. "We're going to get there, and you'll see your seahorses, okay?"

There was a girl with dark hair sitting across from us with headphones on, and she looked about the age of a college student, maybe nineteen or twenty. She looked like a skater girl. I hadn't paid her much attention until she smiled at me and removed her headphones. "Cute kid you got there," she laughed. "He's your son, I'm guessing?"

I nodded. Percy was looking at the girl warily. I didn't find anything wrong with her. I could see through the Mist, so I knew when someone was a monster, or a god. But this girl seemed pretty normal. Percy was just being shy.

The skater girl smiled at him. "Hi," she greeted in a sweet voice.

Percy buried his face in the crook of my neck.

I tried to coax him out of hiding. "Percy, she said hi," I reminded him. "Don't be shy."

He finally gave the girl a small smile. "Hi," he answered quietly.

The girl giggled. "He's adorable."

"Thanks," I laughed.

* * *

><p>The Staten Island zoo was pretty small, and there weren't a lot of people in it due to the rain outside.<p>

"Well, it's a good thing we're hanging out _inside_, huh?" I laughed to Percy.

He grinned. "Yup. Can we see the seahorses now?"

"Of course. Let's get out of the rain."

I took him by the hand and led him inside. The room was dark, with a blue glow softly lighting the walls. I led Percy by the hand as we passed by all sorts of fish; I couldn't name them all if I tried. But Percy stared at them in total fascination, pressing his hands up to the glass. "Hi, fish!" he would greet them with a wave.

Finally, we found them: the seahorses. Percy gasped in excitement and ran over to them, mystified by their beauty. And they _were_ beautiful animals. "Hi, seahorses!" he laughed.

I crouched down next to him. Suddenly, Percy turned to me, his eyes glittery green like the ocean in sunlight. "Mommy, they said hi back!" he exclaimed, giggling.

They said hi back? I gave my son a smile, but I was confused. Had they really said that, or was my five-year-old's mind imagining things? With Percy being the son of the sea god, it was hard to tell. Perhaps they really were talking to him.

Percy held back another laugh. "I know," he whispered.

"You know what?" I asked.

He kept his voice quiet, like it was our little secret, but he murmured, "The said you're pretty." Then he let out a few more giggles.

I blushed, but I couldn't help laughing. "Well," I whispered back, "tell them thank you for me."

He nodded and dutifully turned back to the seahorses. "My mommy says thank you," he told them. He smiled again. "They said you're welcome, Mommy," he told me.

My five-year-old son was having a telepathic conversation with seahorses, like it was an every-day thing. Every now and then he would laugh and nod vigorously, as if he were sharing a funny joke with the sea creatures. Percy seemed so…at home in that aquarium. He was in his element, literally. I hated to pull him away from it. But after an hour I whispered in his ear, "Come on, Percy. We have to go now."

He pouted. "Do we have to?"

I gave him an apologetic smile. "Yeah," I told him. "I have an idea. But we're running out of time to do it."

His eyes brightened. "Really? What kind of idea?"

I ran a hand through his hair. "It's a surprise," I whispered.

Percy turned back to the seahorses, and he seemed conflicted. "Aww," he complained. He reluctantly waved goodbye to his new friends. "Bye, seahorses," he murmured.

He looked back up at me. "They said bye to you, too. They want me to come see them again."

I smiled. "We'll come back," I promised. "Now how about that surprise?"

* * *

><p>I knew the aquarium would be closing soon, so I didn't have much time to get to the gift shop. But I knew that if we hurried, we could make it.<p>

There were a few people wandering around the shop, looking at all of the souvenirs. That's what I needed—a souvenir.

I smiled at my son. "You said you wanted a seahorse, right?"

His green eyes went wide. "Are you getting me one?" he asked with excitement.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure," I said.

"Yay!" he cheered, letting out another one of his adorable giggles.

I walked over to the wall where huge plush seahorses hung. They were all sorts of different colors: yellow, green, pink, blue. I smiled down at Percy. "Which one do you want?" I asked him.

He stared in awe at all of the options, slowly turning his head from side to side, trying to decide. It was probably the best dilemma of his young life. He laughed, throwing his hands up in little-kid exasperation. "I don't know what to choose!" he exclaimed.

I raised an eyebrow. "You want me to choose for you?" I teased.

Percy shook his head vigorously. "No!" he laughed. "Um…can I have the green one?" He pointed to the neon green seahorse that very much resembled the one in the Spongebob episode he had been watching earlier.

I couldn't help but laugh as I got it off the wall. "Alright," I said. I wasn't surprised he had chosen that one. I let him hold it (or at least try to hold it; his arms seemed too small to wrap around the large toy) as I paid for it. Percy's face was literally lit up. And that's why it was completely worth it.

As we walked out of the gift shop, Percy happily struggling with his new toy, I noticed it had stopped raining. The asphalt was still wet and full of puddles, but the sunshine breaking through the clouds bounced off of the water and sparkled, the same way Percy's eyes did.

We didn't see the skater girl on the train ride back to Manhattan, but Percy got plenty of second glances from other people, along with some laughs and smiles. He sat relatively still, seeming very preoccupied with his new friend.

After we got back inside the apartment, he put down the toy long enough to wrap his arms around me. "Thanks, Mommy," he murmured.

I ruffled his hair and hugging him back. "You're very welcome, Percy. What are you going to name your seahorse?"

Percy laughed. "That's easy," he told me. "Her name's Mystery."

At that, I started cracking up. _Well, I'm definitely not bored anymore,_ I pointed out to myself. Percy tends to fix that really easily. _Awesome day off,_ I thought to myself with a smile as I tickled my son to death.

* * *

><p><strong>Percy's a very giggly kid, isn't he? Five-year-old Percy was inspired by a commercial for Care-dot-com (stupid website won't let me type URLs). There was a kid who looked just like I imagine Percy would've looked like as a five-year-old. And he giggles at the end of the commercial, and it always makes <strong>_**me**_** giggle and go "Awwww he's sooooooo cute!" So, thank you, little kid, for being my adorable inspiration!**

**That Spongebob episode is one of my favorites; I just _had_ to use it!**

**Jiang-Mei, I hope you liked it! And again, I'm sorry for the two-year wait! **

**Reviews are awesome! I got the best review ever on **_**Cold as Ice**_**; it literally made my year. They make me so darn happy! I love you all!**

**Thanks!**

**~Mandi2341**


	6. The Talk, 16

**6/20/13: Hey, guys! I read it over and I just revised some stuff. I didn't like how some of it sounded. *shrug* So I changed it a little bit.**

_**Author's Note: Alrighty…about this oneshot. I'm going to rate it T for minor suggestive themes, which unfortunately pushes the story to a rating of T (Yep. Rules matter to me). Thank you to saphira786 for the prompt, and thank you PixieKindOfCrazy for those improv-texts with me. **_

_**This was kind of awkward to write, but it was very, very fun. I enjoyed it. Umm…I apologize for some potential OOC-ness, though. Although…Percy's a teenage guy. So…before I give too much away, I think you should read.**_

_**DISCLAIMER: Unfortunately, I don't live in San Antonio. So I guess I'm not Riordan.  
>Have fun!<strong>_

* * *

><p>The Talk<p>

Look, so I don't have a problem with my sixteen-year-old dating. I don't have a problem with his girlfriend, Annabeth. In fact, I'd been waiting for him to date Annabeth for the past four years (he's had a crush on her since they first met. He denies it, of course). I don't have a problem with Annabeth coming over to visit once or twice a week; she's like my daughter.

(Am I already thinking of Annabeth as a daughter? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?)

Anyway, I don't have a problem with any of that. What I did have a problem with was the sometimes excessive PDA between the two of them. Like one night, around eleven-thirty, I found the two of them fast asleep on the couch. Annabeth was lying on top of Percy, using his chest as a pillow. Percy had his arms wrapped around her hips, his hands resting on the small of her back. His knees rested against either side of her waist. My first thought was, Annabeth's going to miss her curfew. Thought Number Two was, for a sophomore couple that had just started going out, they were pretty close to each other. Third thought—I'm not a big fan of the whole two-teenagers-lying-on-top-of-each-other-in-the-da rk thing.

I gently shook Percy's shoulder. "Guys," I whispered. Percy opened his eyes and squinted at me. "Mom?" he murmured. He glanced down at Annabeth sleeping on his chest, then back up at me, and he blushed. "We were just sleeping, I swear."

Annabeth woke up. When she caught my eyes, she quickly untangled herself from Percy's arms. "I promise it was nothing," she told me with a nervous laugh. "We just fell asleep."

I tried for a smile. "I see that," I said, raising an eyebrow. "You're not in trouble. Though, Annabeth, you might want to get going if you're going to make it back to your dorm before curfew."

She looked at the clock and gasped, letting out an Ancient Greek curse. She shot to her feet. "I'm really late. Thanks, Ms. Jackson," she said as she slipped on her sneaker and headed toward the door.

Percy got up with her. "I'll go with you." He glanced at me. "Can I?"

I smiled and nodded. I'd taught him that. And I was glad that he had remembered it. Always walk a lady to the door, and never let a lady walk on the streets alone at night. Especially not in New York. Percy interlaced his fingers in hers and walked out the door.

But that sleeping-on-each-other scenario had gotten me to monitor them a little closer.

What prompted me to talk to him, though, was another day, when Paul had locked himself in out room, determined to finish grading the huge stack of essays he had, and I had just gone downstairs to pick up the mail. I had left Percy and Annabeth alone in the apartment for a while. I'd thought I'd find them on the couch where I'd left them.

Instead, I was just in time to catch the tail end of a tickle fight. Percy pulled Annabeth onto his lap and tickled her abdomen, making her scream with laughter. "Percy!" she shouted. "Stop it! Please! Stop! I have a dagger and I'm not afraid to use it!"

Percy flipped her onto the couch and knelt over her triumphantly, continuing to tickle her to death. For some reason, his position over her set alarm bells ringing in my head. It was…inappropriate. He was…straddling her. Red alert!

He smirked at Annabeth. "I'm invincible, remember, Wise Girl?" he reminded her.

She tried to push him off of her. "I know your weak spot, Seaweed Brain," she pointed out, her face red from laughing. "Please, Percy! It hurts!"

I cleared my throat loudly to get their attention.

They instantly froze like deer in headlights, and after about five stunned seconds, Percy got off of Annabeth as fast as humanly (or demigodly) possible. His face was beet red, but he gave a nervous chuckle. "Hey, Mom," he greeted.

Annabeth's face was flushed, too, though I wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or laughing. "Hello, Ms. Jackson," she said with an awkward smile.

I smiled at them, though the hands-all-over thing was too much. "Hey, guys," I said, raising an eyebrow. "I see you're, ah, enjoying each other's company."

They nodded silently and awkwardly. Percy was the one to break it. He pointed at Annabeth while still looking at me. "She started it," he declared.

Annabeth hit him on the shoulder. "How's that?"

"You tickled my neck," he smirked.

"I didn't know you were ticklish on your neck!" she defended herself with a laugh, brushing her fingers under his neck.

Percy let out an uncharacteristic giggle, swatting her hand away. "Stop!" he laughed. Then he shook his head at her. "Just trying to find _all_ my weak spots, huh?" he accused playfully. Annabeth just rolled her eyes and cuddled closer to him.

As I put the mail down on the kitchen counter, I looked back at Percy nestled up with his girlfriend. I thought about how he had smirked at her, straddling her and tickling her all over her body. That had _really _bothered me. He had reminded me of his father, Poseidon. And for the first time ever, that wasn't a good thing.

Percy had been pretty shy when it came to dating. He was a lot shyer than Poseidon had been, that's for sure. But there were some moments when "playful," escalated to "sexual." He needed to know that boundary.

Thing was, I had no idea how to bring that up without it being awkward for both of us.

I went to my bedroom, where Paul was in the middle of reading a paper. He glanced up at me. "Hey, what's up?" he greeted. Then he raised an eyebrow. "And what was all that nonsense in the living room? I heard screaming and laughing, like some sort of tickle fight going on."

I smirked. "Good guess," I sighed, sitting heavily on the bed. "I have to have a talk with Percy. He and Annabeth are getting way too…hands-on with each other." I made a face. "Paul, you should've seen the two of them. Percy was…_on top _of her, tickling her all over the place, and…" I sighed in exasperation. "It kind of scared me."

Paul frowned. "Wow, really? They've only been going out for like, what? Two months?"

"I know!" I said. "I'm going to talk with him. Except…" I pursed my lips. "I have no idea where to start."

My husband shrugged. "Just be honest," he said. "And keep in mind that he's a sixteen-year-old guy, you know what I mean?" He smirked.

I half-smiled. "Alright." I got up with a sigh. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck," Paul called behind me.

I found Percy and Annabeth standing at the door, saying goodbye. Percy had his Poseidon-like smirk on, and he had his arms around his girlfriend's waist. "Do you have to go so soon?" he murmured.

She rolled her eyes, but she smiled. "Yeah, unfortunately," she answered. "I have a lab report due tomorrow morning. I have to finish it."

Percy pouted, but smiled under Annabeth's kiss. He didn't look like he wanted to let her go anytime soon, but Annabeth pulled away, gave him a wink, and headed out the door.

_Now or never, Sally,_ I told myself. "Hey, Percy," I called lightheartedly.

He turned to me. "Hmm?"

"Can we talk for a minute? Just you and me?" I sat on the couch and patted the space next to me.

My son cautiously made his way over to me. "This isn't about the tickle fight, is it?" he asked warily.

I pursed my lips. Good guess. "Not…completely," I said honestly. _It's also about the sleeping on each other and making out and straddling and well…all the other touchy-feely stuff going on between you two. _

My son plopped down next to me and gave me a look. "Not completely?" he repeated. "What is it, Mom?"

I sighed, throwing an arm over his shoulder. "Well," I started, "I know you really like Annabeth…" I trailed off, realizing how obvious a statement that was. Duh, he liked Annabeth.

Percy chuckled. "Yes, I do," he laughed. "But you already knew that. So…what are you getting at?"

_Ugh, this is so awkward_, I thought. "Um…well," I tried again, "when you like someone that much, there are some…" _What's the right word?_ "…things you'll want to do with them." I waited for him to get it. Hopefully he would and I wouldn't have to elaborate.

He searched my eyes for more detail, but I guess he didn't find anything, because he just shrugged. "Yeah, I know," he said casually. "There are lots of things I like to do with Annabeth."

I kind of wanted to face-palm, but I couldn't help smiling. He didn't get it. I sighed. "Not like that," I said.

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Like what, then?" he pressed.

I pursed my lips, trying to think of how to explain it to him. Then I remembered how Percy had reminded me of Poseidon, and I realized that was partly why this conversation was taking place. "Like…things your father and I liked to do," I answered, giving him as many hints through my eyes as I could. _Please get it so I don't have to go into more detail._

He frowned, looking a little warier. His body language told me he was getting ready to shrink away from me. "Do I want an elaboration?" he asked slowly.

_Not really_, I thought. Oh, I knew how all of that flirtation could turn into _way_ more than flirtation. I'd been there and done that. I could feel myself getting a little hotter. But I took a deep breath and continued carefully. "More like…things that tickle fights and sleeping on each other, and making out and straddling can escalate into," I explained. "And I speak from experience."

Percy looked into my eyes. Slowly, his expression morphed into surprise, then disgust, then mortification. He went bright pink and stood abruptly. "Ew! No! No-no-no-no-no-no! NO. Not ready for that. Nope, no thank you!" He stormed into the kitchen, still blushing furiously.

I started laughing, partly from I relief. _Not ready for that. Yes!_ "So you get it, right?" I called teasingly.

"Yeah, thanks," Percy called back, a little sarcastically. "Too much information."

I got up and called back, "I didn't _think_ you'd want an elaboration."

I could imagine an eye-roll with his exaggerated groan. "Then why'd you give me one?" he whined.

"Because you asked for one," I teased.

"No, I asked if I should _want_ one. You could've said no!"

I shrugged, heading back to my bedroom. "As long as you keep your hands to yourself…"

"Mom! I'm not _doing_ that!"

"Just making sure!" I laughed. When I walked back to the bedroom, Paul was still grading essays. He had a smirk on his face, like he'd heard the whole thing.

"How much did you hear?" I asked with a half-smile.

"Enough," he chuckled. "Starting with a string of no's from Percy. It doesn't sound like he's ready for…that."

I sat down on the bed, feeling a rush of satisfaction. My son wasn't sleeping with his girlfriend, nor was he planning on it. I sighed in relief.

"Satisfied?" Paul laughed.

I laughed with him. "Very."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Why is Sally so much fun to write? If ever I have channeled myself into a character, man, did I just channel myself into Sally. But I had so much fun writing this. So, I'm sorry for the OOC-ish Percy, but I think I made up for it at the end, right? I mean…come on, he's a teenager. It reminded me of MoA. How I love Frank.<strong>_

_**Anyway, I want to hear what you thought of this. I seriously love feedback.**_

_**Thanks so much, guys! I love you all!**_

_**~Mandi2341 **_


	7. Priority, 14

**Author's Note: Hey, people! I know I haven't updated anything all summer, but here's me updating something, you know…now that school's about to start and everything… *sigh***

**Who else is totally pumped about the Sea of Monsters movie? Actually…pumped isn't the right word…more like, excited. At least it looks a LOT better than the first one. Fine, I'll say it. "In Demigods We…" I can't. Sorry. I just can't.**

**Anyway, here's another oneshot from our favorite duo! Thanks so much for all of the reviews! I'm so happy you guys love the dynamic as much as I do. I miss Sally so much. Rick, please put her back in the story!**

**I wrote this because, if you've read the previous oneshots, I have one called "Sick, 6." I was playing with Percy's age in order to write that oneshot, and decided to make him younger for that particular oneshot. But here's how the older version went in my head. Thanks to my cousin for telling me to do it!**

**DISCLAIMER: No, I'm not Riordan. Or else, Sally would've been in **_**Heroes**_**. **

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Priority, 14<p>

I was very ready for my Valentine's Day date with my boyfriend, Paul. He was taking me to dinner at of the nicest restaurants in the city, followed by a concert at Carnegie Hall. It would be an amazing night together for Valentine's Day.

All week, I'd been planning my outfit in my head, thinking about what jewelry would go with which outfit, et cetera. My fourteen-year-old would throw in his input from time to time, which I found extremely helpful. By the time the day rolled around, all I could do was wait anxiously and excitedly for the clock to strike seven.

I kept myself busy with my writing, but nothing seemed to connect. I ended up with senseless drabbling on several pages of my notebook, starting and stopping in odd places. Time seemed to drag on endlessly until five o'clock, when Paul called to confirm our date.

"We're still on for tonight, right?" he asked. I could hear a small hint of doubt in his voice, though he tried to keep it light.

I laughed and nodded, as though he could see my vigorous agreement. "Yes, we are," I told him. "We definitely are, Valentine."

He chuckled on the other end of the phone, and immediately I heard the tension evaporate from his voice. "Good. See you at seven, then?"

I smiled. "See you at seven," I repeated in confirmation.

After I hung up, I could feel that lingering flutter in my heart that always took a while to dissipate after talking with Paul. As I glanced around the kitchen, Percy walked in with a smirk, setting his backpack on one chair and occupying another. "You're blushing," he pointed out.

I pursed my lips, but I knew he was right. "Don't you have homework?" I teased, trying to change the subject.

Percy's smile was a little weary. "Yeah," he answered, kind of quietly.

I glanced at him. He looked a little pale, and he was taking his books out of his bag with a sort of lethargy, as if he were sick. "Are you okay?" I asked, putting a hand on his forehead. He felt normal, and my brow creased a little. "You look tired."

He shrugged. "I'm fine," he said. "Just a small stomachache, that's all." He grimaced slightly. "Lunch today was kind of…sketchy," he admitted. "I've been feeling kind of off all day, but don't worry, I'm fine!" he added hastily when he saw my frown.

"Are you sure?" I pressed.

Percy raised an eyebrow, his green eyes gaining a little bit of mischief. "Don't _you_ have a date to prepare for?" That smirk slowly crossed his lips again. "I'm okay, Mom, really. Go get ready." He turned to his homework.

I left the kitchen reluctantly, heading to my room, wondering if I would be able to leave Percy while I went out. He _said_ he was okay, but I wasn't sure if that was entirely true. Percy was the kind of kid who would always try to protect you feelings with little white lies, which I liked and disliked at the same time. I appreciated the fact that he would try to shelter me, the fact that he cared that much about me. Even so, I still wanted to know the truth. I could handle it.

I took a deep breath, sifting through my closet for the dress Percy had suggested: a long-sleeved dark green velvet dress with a black belt around the waist, the hem stopping just below my knees. I found the black pantyhose I wanted to wear with it, along with the pair of black heels that would complete the outfit.

When I was dressed, I moved on to my hair. I couldn't decide whether I wanted my hair up or down. I played with it both ways, clipping it up with pins or clipping it back with barrettes. After a few minutes I gave up on my hair and moved on to the makeup and jewelry, not putting on too much of either (I'm not a big makeup/jewelry person anyway). By the time all of that was finished, it was six-fifteen. I had forty-five minutes to finish getting ready, and I still didn't know what to do with my hair, so I went over to the kitchen to ask Percy for his opinion.

I found him lying on the couch with his eyes closed, as if he were asleep. He must've heard me enter the room, though, because he opened his eyes. When I asked for his opinion, Percy raised an eyebrow, studying me for a few seconds, chin resting pensively on his hand in an exaggeratedly serious look. "Wear it down," he finally decided.

I nodded with a smile. "Thank you," I told him, pinning some strands away from my face.

He nodded a you're-welcome before reclining back. "You look very nice," he added. "Very ready for a Valentine's date."

I looked him over one more time. He really didn't look well. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?" I asked again. "You look a little sick."

"I'm fine," he insisted, but his eyes were closed again, his brow slightly creased.

I felt his cheek again for a fever, but he still felt fine.

"Mom," he said more firmly, trying to swat my hand away, "it's just a stomachache. I'm okay—" He cut himself off suddenly, sitting up abruptly, hugging his stomach with a groan.

I frowned with worry. He was looking a little green. "Percy—"

"Oh, gods," he muttered, his voice choked. A hand clamped over his mouth, my son immediately got to his feet and ran to the bathroom, throwing the door shut behind him. I followed him, and I could hear him vomiting on the other side of the closed door.

I sighed as I opened it. "Percy, I _knew_ you weren't fine," I muttered.

He coughed, standing up slowly and shakily. "I _told _you lunch was sketchy today," he groaned, turning on the faucet to rinse his mouth.

"Alright," I sighed. "Come; you need rest, now."

Percy let me lead him back to the living room, and he obediently reclined on the couch when I told him to lie back down. When he was comfortable, I got up and called over my shoulder, "I'm going to go call Paul to cancel."

From behind me, I heard, "_What_? No! Mom, you can't—"

"Shh." I turned and put a finger to my lips.

His expression looked pretty pained, not and not because of his condition. He continued in a whisper, "Mom, it's last minute."

I knew that, and I felt pretty rotten about that. "I know, honey," I told him as I dialed the number I'd memorized a while ago. "But I can't leave you alone if you're sick."

He frowned. "I'm fourteen!" he protested.

"But you're sick," I countered calmly. The phone rang five times before Paul picked up.

"Hi, Sally," he greeted. "I was just on my way to pick you up. I'm leaving my place right now."

My heart sank a little lower. I bit my lip before starting, "Paul, I don't think I'll be able to make it tonight."

There was silence on the other end, and I was afraid of what he would say to break that silence…_if_ he would be the one to break it. Finally after five long seconds, he said, "Oh." The disappointment in his voice was pretty hard to miss. "What happened?"

"Percy's not feeling very well, and I'm going to stay home to take care of him," I told him. "I'm so, so sorry, Paul. I feel awful cancelling on you at the last minute." And I really did. In spite of myself, my eyes stung a bit. I had been really looking forward to that date.

Even so, Paul understood. "I get it, Sally," he told me. "Percy's your priority, and I completely understand." Was it me, or could I almost _see_ his smile? "You're a mom, and a darn great one at that."

I smiled, glancing at Percy, who was still staring at me like I was completely nuts. "Thank you," I murmured. "That really means a lot to me, you know."

"So…when would you like to reschedule?" he asked, a little sheepishly.

I shrugged. "Whenever you like, I'm fine with it. I owe you."

Paul chuckled lightly. "Alright then, I'll call when I think of something, honey," he told me. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," I murmured, hanging up.

I tried to keep down the warm, fluttery feeling in my chest as I walked back to the living room where Percy was, but I couldn't do it. Percy had his arms crossed, as well as an expression that said, _Mom, you're crazy, and I'm frustrated with you for what you just did._ "You didn't have to do that, you know," he muttered.

I kissed his forehead, brushing his dark hair out of his eyes. "I know," I said. "But I wanted to."

He looked at me skeptically. "You _wanted_ to cancel your date?" he asked. "Everything was perfect, ready to go, and you _canceled._" He sighed in exasperation. "Mom, you really like Paul, and I know you were excited for this date. Why would you cancel something like that?"

I pursed my lips, this time returning his _you're crazy_ look. "Because you're sick," I repeated _again_. "I wouldn't have felt comfortable leaving you alone after you just threw up. What kind of mother would I be if I left my sick child behind?"

Percy blinked, a small frown forming on his face. "A mom who's already sacrificed enough for her child, and whose child wants her to have fun once in a while?" he suggested sarcastically.

See, it was that kind of thing that made me want to wrap my son in a huge hug and smother him with kisses. So I did. "Percy, I love you," I told him. "_That's_ why I'm staying with you. Because I _love_ you. You come first, always."

Percy smiled, and he actually let me hug him. Usually he'd fight me off, but I suppose that day he was too tired for it. "I love you, too," he murmured. "That's why I want you to go out. I would've been okay."

I sat on the couch next to him. "We're going to reschedule," I said. "So how about _you_ be my Valentine tonight? That okay with you?"

Percy shrugged. "Seeing as it's already okay with you, it's okay with me, too." He smiled tiredly, rearranging himself so he could rest his head on my shoulder.

* * *

><p><strong>I liked this one. It was fun. Then again, most of these are lots of fun to write. Hopefully I get some more out there soon, and some more <strong>_**Cold as Ice.**_** I promise I've been working hard on that, for those who are following that story.**

**I apologize if this was too short, or kind of rushed. I literally wrote the whole thing today. But I GREATLY enjoyed it, and I hope you did, too.**

**Again, thanks for all of the love! Tell me what you think! I love reviews, and I love your feedback!**

**~Mandi2341**


	8. Blue, 13

**Author's Note: Hi, everyone! I know it's been a while since I've done anything on this website, but I was having a throwback day the other day, and I heard the song "I'm Blue," by Eiffel 65, and my new headcanon is that Percy and his mom totally know all of the words. Because they're total nerds, let's be honest.**

**So, here you go! A new one-shot featuring our favorites! And who's ready for PJO Ship Weeks, starting this month? Week one features my favorite PJO mom - The one and only Sally Jackson! Or FIFA? Because I'll be watching soccer all day, every day.**

**DISCLAIMER: MY NAME'S. NOT. RIIIIIICK! And I'm not Eiffel 65, either. I promise.**

* * *

><p>Blue<p>

Percy came home from Camp Half-Blood to a brand-new apartment. I hadn't been sure if he would be coming home for the school year, so the room that was to be his remained pretty bare, save the bed and some boxes that lay in a stack along the wall, filled with his old possessions.

Percy wanted to paint his room blue, to resemble his cabin back at camp. When he told me, I wasn't surprised in the least. Blue was his favorite color - coincidentally as the son of Poseidon - and ever since we'd made blue pancakes to spite my horrible ex-husband, Gabe. Before, in our old apartment, Percy hadn't been able to do anything to his room, mainly because he'd gone to a boarding school and Gabe had taken it over as his own personal "study." Now that it was just the two of us again, Percy took the opportunity to truly make the space his own.

After we'd gotten permission from the landlord, we took a trip to Home Depot to pick up a couple of cans of cerulean and ocean blue paint, some roller brushes, and a tarp for the floor. My thirteen-year-old wasn't starting school for a few more weeks, and I thought it would be best to get the painting over with before he had to go back.

So, we found ourselves moving the little furniture that was in his room, T-shirt sleeves rolled up, barefoot on the tarp, my hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, our shirts and shorts and hands stained with blue paint. I had my _Now That's What I Call Music_, Volume 4, CD playing throughout the apartment as we worked, and Percy and I had had taken frequent breaks in our painting to dance.

My son smirked as he brought the roller down on the wall, leaving a decently straight path of paint behind, recognizing the familiar piano riffs of the next track. "_Yo, listen up, here's the story about a little guy that lives in a blue world._"

I laughed at how appropriately timed the song was, and I answered with "_And all day and all night and everything he sees is just blue, like him, inside and outside_."

"_Blue his house_," Percy smirked.

"_With a blue little window_," I added.

"_And a blue Corvette _-"

"_And everything is blue for him_-"

"_And his self_-"

"_And everybody around _- "

"_Cuz he ain't got nobody to listen…_" Percy paused as the song faded out for a few beats, before the two of us broke out in the nonsensical chorus:

"_I'm blue, da ba dee da ba die,_

_Da ba dee da ba die, da ba dee da ba die,_

_Da ba dee da ba die, da ba dee da ba die,_

_Da ba dee da ba die, da ba dee da ba die_."

Percy grabbed my arm, laughing wholeheartedly, pulling me into an awkward one-armed dance, since there was still a paintbrush in his hand. We sang the lyrics as the chorus repeated itself, falling into a mediocre square dance, arms hooked together as we spun each other around.

"_I have a blue house with a blue window_," I started the bridge.

"_Blue is the color of all that I wear_," Percy answered.

"_Blue are the streets and all the trees are, too_."

"_I have a girlfriend, and she is so blue._"

As we continued filling in the lyrics, in the back of my mind, I realized how dorky we would've looked to any outsiders. Why did we know all of the lyrics, and why were we so perfectly synchronized in singing them to each other?

Percy seemed to be thinking the same thing, because he just broke out laughing in the middle of the lyrics. "We're such _nerds_," he chuckled. His face was slightly flushed with laughter, and his green eyes were bright.

"I, personally, enjoy being a nerd," I replied, ruffling his hair. He smirked as he batted my hand away.

We continued singing through the chorus, and at one point, Percy noticed the paint all over his arms and hands, and shook them out getting small droplets of cerulean on my face. I grimaced, pulling back and wiping the paint from my brow, good-naturedly smearing some on Percy's cheek.

My son chuckled and responded by wiping some paint on my chin, and it eventually ended in the two of us covered in cerulean.

The chorus returned, and we shared another dance with each other, with difficulty holding each other's arms, due to the excessive amount of paint on our skin. Percy laughed as he spun under my arm (and out of my hand, as I lost my grip on it).

I started the bridge again with him, and he answered my lyrical calls with a broad smile, before we finally ended with the chorus. I felt like I was in high school again, with my friends in our gym at junior prom, dancing badly but not caring, because we were dancing badly together: Keyword: _Together_.

"_I'm blue, da ba dee da ba die_

"_Da ba dee da ba die, da ba dee da ba die_

"_Da ba dee da ba die, da ba dee da ba die_

"_Da ba dee da ba die, da ba dee da ba die._"

The song ended with the two of us panting, all but collapsing to a sitting position on the floor, covered in paint, but laughing. I try to run a hand over Percy's hair, but he ducks and smirks. "The last thing I need is that stuff in my _hair_, Mom," he mutters, wrinkling his nose.

"I thought you were blue," I joked.

He rolled his eyes and wiped his brow as the next song started. "You're not funny," he told me, but there was a small half-smile on his face as he wiped his hands off on his shorts, leaving streaks of blue. "Can we take a break? I can't take the smell of paint anymore."

I laughed and pulled him up. "Yeah, come on."

* * *

><p><strong>Tell me what you thought of this! Hopefully I get more stuff done this summer! I'm trying, I promise! Thanks so much for patience and love!<strong>

**(And can I please recommend _The Halls of Larson_, by JP Lacey? Because I think I have, but I can't stress enough how awesome this story is. Okay.)**

**Love,**

**Mandi**


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